'Stooped Very Low': Abdul Razzaq Blasted for 'Shameful' Remarks on Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Former Pakistan cricketer Abdul Razzaq is facing severe backlash owing to his comment on the country’s poor performance in the ICC ODI World Cup that had a reference to Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

Pakistan made an early exit from the competition as they failed to qualify for the semi-finals. Babar Azam’s white-ball captaincy has came into question with Razzaq pointing fingers at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

During a recent event, Razzaq criticised PCB’s intention.

Explaining his remarks aimed at PCB, Razzaq shelled out a bizarre example, mentioning the name of Aishwarya.

Former players like Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi were also present at the event.

The likes of Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul were also part of the event and were seen smiling and clapping after after Razzaq’s controversial remarks.

Speaking about the “neeyat” (intention) of the Pakistan board, Razzaq said, “Here, I am referring to their (PCB’s) intention. While I was playing, I was aware of my captain Younis Khan’s good intentions. That gave me strength and confidence, and with Allah’s help, I was able to perform well for Pakistani cricket.”

According to the 43-year-old, the board doesn’t take care about the players like before.

In a bid to clear his thoughts, Razzaq said, “We don’t really intend to improve and enhance the players, in my opinion. That will never happen if you believe that I will marry Aishwarya (Rai) to have a good-natured and moral child. Therefore, you must first amend your intentions.”

After the comment went viral across social media, social media users began slamming the former Pakistan allrounder.

Referring to his statement, one user wrote on X, “What Abdul Razzaq said about Aishwarya Rai was the lowest a man can stoop. What’s more shocking is that a guy like Shahid Afridi is sitting there and endorsing that. I condemn this.”

Another user commented, “Abdul Razzaq, You have stooped very low. speak according to your level. You don’t need to say anything about Aishwarya Rai. Please instead of talking about an Indian actress, talk about your own players and cricket system.”

A fan labelled it as a “shameful remark,” saying, “Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi are laughing and clapping. Shahid Afridi has three daughters.”

Here are some other reactions:

As far as Pakistan’s performance in the ODI World Cup is concerned, the champions of 1992 managed to win only four of their nine league fixtures and finished fifth in the points table.